During the past weekend, I had two interactions that caused me pause.
One was about my action and another about something I have created.
The question I asked myself "Is this input helpful or is it meant to put me down?" When does one know to pay real attention to what is being said and not chalk it up to, "He is jealous and working to make himself feel better"? After some reflection it was easy for me to discern that the comments were different and one contained a real learning for me.
One person gave me the why.
He clearly explained why it was not working for him.
No questioning the motive.
He just gave me the facts.
Now that I knew the issue, I could make an adjustment.
Something to pay attention to in my future interactions.
The other person went on about how my idea held no real validity.
Since she had experience in the field, she knew what she was saying was true.
Hard for me to swallow since I had been working in the field for 15 years and she had newly entered the industry.
As I felt my blood pressure rising, I kept my comments to a minimum and used the sentence, "I hear what you are saying".
Amazing how effective this line is to help close a conversation.
Sometimes you have to use it three times, yet it does work.
No question this person was working to show her superiority over me.
Both interactions provided me an opportunity to grow, yet one will certainly help me change my approach and I know why it is important to do so.